In the English-speaking world most readers come to Plutarch through the Penguin translations, and this companion aims to give help to readers of this subtle and complex writer. The introduction gives brief details of Plutarch's life and works, his methods and aims as a biographer, and the character of these particular three Lives. The commentary, in continuous prose, gives citations from the Penguin translation in bold type. The book also contains family trees, maps, a chronological table, a glossary of Roman political terms, and a select vocabulary.